Jamahal Hill and Corey Anderson sparked a debate on which promotion has the best light heavyweight.
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] sparked a debate on which promotion has the best light heavyweight.
UFC light heavyweight champion Hill took exception to Anderson’s claim that Bellator 205-pound champ Vadim Nemkov could be UFC champion, and that the top three in the division are himself, Nemkov, and Magomed Ankalev.
Hill responded to Anderson (17-6 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) in a video on his YouTube channel, prompting Anderson to fire back.
Anderson, a former UFC light heavyweight, holds notable wins over former champs Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira. In his most recent appearance this past Friday, Anderson defeated ex-UFC fighter Phil Davis at Bellator 297.
Hill claimed the vacant light heavyweight belt by battering Teixeira for five rounds at UFC 283 in January.
Scroll below to see Hill and Anderson’s back-and-forth.
UFC light heavyweight champ Jamahal Hill is chomping at the bit to fight, but he’s been forced to wait on Jiri Prochazka.
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] is chomping at the bit to fight, but he’s been forced to wait.
Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) captured the vacant light heavyweight title with a beatdown of Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 in January and has since been waiting for [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] to recover from shoulder surgery.
This past Monday marked the one-year anniversary of Prochazka’s title win over Teixeira at UFC 275. Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) ended up vacating his belt after badly injuring his shoulder and is yet to give an exact timetable for his return.
One thing’s for certain: Hill is growing tired of waiting.
“Man, I heard the same thing y’all heard,” Hill told The Schmo. “‘It’s summer time,’ but still where you at, though? Where you at, though? I mean, I haven’t heard anything. I’ve been waiting for the call. I’ve been ready to go. At this point, I don’t care. It’s the next man up now. Whoever peaks their head out first, whoever separates themselves from the pack, whoever solidifies themselves as No. 1 contender, whoever they send. It is what it is, bro. Send whoever, just give me a name. I don’t care who it is.”
Hill expects to return in fall and says even that would be too long of a wait. In Prochazka’s one-year anniversary reflection post, he hinted that he will be ready to go in a few months.
“Today marks exactly one year since winning the UFC title. Since then, I have changed many things in my life, but the Path and Passion to be a true Champion and Master of the field has burned much brighter in me.
In a few months I’ll take the title clean and clear.
THERE WILL BE A FIGHT, AND THE FIGHT IS A JOY!!!!”
“I don’t, not at this point,” Hill said of his return. “Bro, I don’t. Hopefully it’s somewhere in September or October. I really, really, really wouldn’t want to wait until those times, which now I really don’t have much of a choice. I really don’t want to wait past that. I wanted to fight at least two more times this year as champion. It’s not my timetable. I’m working off other people’s schedule right now, but I’m ready to go. I’m ready to fight.”
UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill warns Alex Pereira that challenging him will be a rude awakening.
NEWARK, N.J. – UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] has warned [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] that challenging him will have him in for a rude awakening.
Former middleweight champion Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) announced his move to light heavyweight and Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) welcomes the challenge.
Hill does think Pereira should at least notch one win in the division before he gets a title shot, but if they do end up fighting, “Sweet Dreams” plans to dominate him.
“If I’m looking at it as far as fair for everybody else in the division, yeah I would say he has to win a fight in order to get a title shot,” Hill told MMA Junkie. “But his name brings some value, so there’s that factor. I’m not dumb to the fact that that could play a factor in somebody getting a fight. I don’t care, bro. I really don’t care. When you get to this fight, it’s not going to be what you think it is. It’s an ass whooping waiting for you here. So whenever you decide to get to that, it is what it is.”
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However, Hill isn’t even sure if Pereira will be able to handle the stylistic matchups in the top five in order to earn a title shot.
“Personally, I think he’s got to win one (at light heavyweight),” Hill said. “I don’t know who he beats because he’s going to have to beat somebody in the top five. I know a lot of those guys in the top five are tough. You’re going to have to grapple with them, as well, and I know that’s not a strong suit of his. But they can stand and they can grapple, as well. So we’ll see. I’m excited. I think it’s an exciting time for the division. I think it’s great for the division.”
Hill claimed the vacant 205-pound belt with a dominant victory over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 in January. He hopes Jiri Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will have recovered from shoulder surgery in time to compete at UFC 292 on Aug. 19 in Boston.
UFC light heavyweight champ Jamahal Hill would be disappointed to never fight Jon Jones, but has nothing but respect for him.
SUNRISE, Fla. – UFC light heavyweight champ [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] would be disappointed to never fight [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], but has nothing but respect for him.
Heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) mentioned potential retirement after he defends his belt against Stipe Miocic this year, meaning Hill’s chances of moving up to fight him would be slim.
But either way, Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) appreciates what Jones has done for the sport.
“For me, it’s kind of disheartening because that’s a challenge I want,” Hill told MMA Junkie. “But if that’s what he wants for his life and his legacy and things like that, and that’s where he feels like he wants to put the end to it, that’s all the more respect to him. I’m not going to ask for nothing more. He’s given a lot. He’s given us some great fights, some great performances, some great lessons on both sides of the coin to learn from.
“I remember seeing Jon Jones in there, elbow red from being in an armbar from Vitor, and then in the same fight broke his toe. Come on, bro. Respect what people put on the line and lay out there for you. If he decides, ‘All right, I’ve given all I can,’ hat’s off to you and ride off. Enjoy whatever you do after that.”
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Hill currently is on a collision course with former champion Jiri Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who vacated his belt after injuring his shoulder which required surgery.
After Prochazka relinquished the title, Hill claimed the vacant 205-pound belt with a dominant victory over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 in January. Hill is eager to fight and hopes he and Prochazka finally can throw down at UFC 292, which is expected to take place in Boston on Aug. 19.
Jamahal Hill sets a deadline for his first UFC light heavyweight title defense, and says it’s up to Jiri Prochazka to meet it.
NEWARK, N.J. – [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] is setting a deadline for his first UFC light heavyweight title defense, and says it’s up to [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] to decide whether it can be met
Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who claimed the vacant 205-pound belt with a dominant victory over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 in January, is determined to get back in the octagon before the summer is up. Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is his ideal opponent, but with the former titleholder still recovering from a significant shoulder injury that required surgery, there’s no certainties about whether he’ll be available.
It’s the fight Hill wants the most, he said, but his patience is running thin. If Prochazka isn’t ready for the recently announced UFC 292 event Aug. 19 in Boston, then Hill said he’ll move on.
“I’m hearing maybe August (in Boston) – hopefully we get that in and get that contract soon,” Hill told MMA Junkie. “I’m not trying to wait past August. That’s all I know. I don’t want to wait past summer. Whether it’s Jiri or whoever steps forward, I’m ready to get it in.
“Whoever steps forward (if Prochazka isn’t ready), because right now, no one else make sense for real. Some guys are going to have to make some leaps or whatever to put themselves out and separate themselves from the pack. Whoever that is, that’s who I’ll take on.”
The groundwork for a showdown between Hill and Prochazka has already been laid. “Sweet Dreams” holds the belt that Prochazka never lost in the octagon, but rather vacated due to injury. The pair had a viral social media interaction in the aftermath of Hill’s title win over Teixeira, and additionally, they engaged in a tense cageside faceoff at a recent UFC event.
Both men kept it professional during the staredown, but Hill said he took something beneficial away from that moment.
“It was smooth,” Hill said. “It was cool. We were both there. They asked us to do the faceoff and everything for anticipation, because I know that’s going to be a great fight. That’s going to be a great fight for the fans. He thinks he’s ready and I already know what it is. I’m ready to show that.”
The stylistic matchup between Hill, 31, and Prochazka, 30, has fireworks written all over it. Hill has won a bonus in his past four bouts – two Fight of the Nights and two Performance of the Nights – while Prochazka has racked up four total bonuses in just three career UFC appearances overall.
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As always, Hill will prepare for five gruesome rounds where he has to dig deep, but when assessing the matchup, doesn’t think it needs to be a blood-and-guts affair. Hill is confident he can make the fight one-way traffic, and he hopes Prochazka can show up on his desired date in Boston to show it.
“I don’t feel like it has to be a war,” Hill said. “I feel like my skill level is vastly past that of his own. I feel like he’s a very physical dude. He’s strong, he’s got some natural physical attributes, but the skill and understanding on the level that I understand this sh*t? He’s not there.
“I was just watching his fights the other day. He’s not that guy. I can’t wait to get him in there. I truly can’t wait to get him in there so he can see what it’s like. It’s going to be funny. I’m going to beat the dog sh*t out that man.”
UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill would love to welcome middleweight champ Alex Pereira to 205 pounds.
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] welcomes [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] to light heavyweight.
UFC middleweight champion Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is known to have big weight cuts and has teased a potential move to 205 pounds in the future.
Currently sitting on that light heavyweight throne is Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who is confident he would make easy work of “Poatan.”
“Come on in,” Hill said in an interview with Inside Fighting. “I’m here for everybody. Just put a dish on the plate so I could eat.
“(It would be a) dominant victory for me – dominant. I’m going to dominate him.”
Pereira rematches Adesanya in Saturday’s UFC 287 main event at Kaseya Center in Miami. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
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Hill is awaiting his first challenger. Hill captured the vacant title with a lopsided win over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 in January, which prompted Pereira to issue him a challenge to try to avenge his coach and mentor’s loss.
Jiri Prochazka vacated the light heavyweight title due to a shoulder injury that required surgery, but he is projected to be next in line for a shot at the belt he never lost.
“I’m doing what I can to make it happen,” Hill said on fighting Prochazka. “I’m hearing he should be back sooner than normal – hopefully. We’ll see. I’m just waiting to see.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
New UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill thinks middleweight champ Alex Pereira should worry about his own weight class for now.
UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] should worry about his own weight class.
After Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) defeated Pereira’s mentor, Glover Teixeira, with a dominant decision to capture the vacant belt at UFC 283 in January, middleweight champion “Poatan” was seen staring him down in the octagon. He then issued him a challenge.
But Hill thinks Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) should worry about his title-fight rematch with Israel Adesanya at UFC 287, which was announced after Pereira made his callout.
“I think he should really focus on Izzy because he was getting his ass whopped for a good majority of that fight last time before he won,” Hill told The Schmo.
Pereira was down 3-1 on the judges’ scorecards before he rallied to knock out Adesanya in Round 5 at UFC 281. They will run things back April 8, but Hill thinks Adesanya will get the belt back.
“He had some things happen for him like the leg (kick) check at the end,” Hill said. “I think if Izzy just throws hands – just box him; just be quick and outbox him – he’ll win.”
Hill is expected to next face Jiri Prochazka, who vacated the light heavyweight title after he sustained a shoulder injury that required surgery. No timetable for Prochazka’s return has been given.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill is open to Magomed Ankalaev for his first title defense. Where does that leave Jiri Prochazka?
New UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] is open to fighting [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] next.
Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) battered Glover Teixeira to capture the vacant title in the UFC 283 headliner in January in Brazil. After former champ Jiri Prochazka opted to relinquish his belt due to a severe shoulder injury, he’s projected to be Hill’s first title defense.
But if Prochazka still needs time to recover, Hill is happy to put his title on the line against Ankalaev (18-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC), who thinks he was robbed of a decision win in his title fight against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 282.
“He’s right there at the top, so he’s put himself in position to be considered for those things,” Hill said in an interview with Sportskeeda. “I’m not just going to sit and just be like, ‘He didn’t deserve it.’ He’s up at the top. If I’m ready to go and I’m ready to fight, I fight who’s available. I wouldn’t mind knocking him the f*ck out just for the simple fact that people keep bringing his name up talking to me.”
Ankalaev and Blachowicz battled to a split draw in their vacant title fight this past December. Disappointed with the fight, UFC president Dana White decided to book Hill against Teixeira for the title that remained vacant after the draw. Hill became the first graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series to become a UFC champion.
Anthony Smith sees a clear path to challenging Jamahal Hill for the UFC light heavyweight title.
[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] sees a pretty clear path to challenging [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] for the UFC light heavyweight title.
After Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) claimed the vacant 205-pound belt this month with a unanimous decision win over Glover Teixeira in the UFC 283 headliner, the questions have opened up about whom will be the opponent to kick off his title reign.
Hill told MMA Junkie after beating Teixeira that he would like to face Jiri Prochazka, who was forced to relinquish the strap after suffering a serious shoulder injury. Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is all in on making that happen, but the timeline of his return is going to determine the division’s path forward.
Both Hill and Prochazka said that July or August would be the best-case scenario, but Prochazka can’t make any guarantees about his health. Hill is open to waiting to see what happens, but said he doesn’t want to go much further than April without knowing something solid.
Smith (36-17 MMA, 11-7 UFC) doesn’t see the dates lining up for Hill vs. Prochazka, so if he can win his next fight, which Smith teases could happen in March against an unknown opponent, he thinks that could lock him in to a title shot.
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“Glover is out because he retired; (Aleksandar) Rakic is still hurt, I don’t know what’s going on with Jan (Blachowicz) and (Magomed) Ankalaev,” Smith said on the “Believe You Me” podcast with co-host Michael Bisping. “If I had to guess, I’m going to be very honest, I think it’s going to end up being me. Jiri said on Ariel (Helwani’s) show that he still needed some time, he wanted his body to get right, then Jamahal had a response saying he wants to wait for Jiri, but he needs an answer by April. He wants to know, ‘Are you going or not?’ So I think I’ll fight before then, and I don’t know Jiri is going to be ready. I think he’s rushing it.
“… I think he’s optimistic, and for his sake I hope he is able to fight, because I think he deserves it. He never lost the title. I would love to see Jamahal versus each other, but if it’s not Jiri, I think that I’m the next one to fight. I think I would be next in line.”
A potential Smith vs. Hill fight would be unique in that they are good friends, and more recently, training partners. Smith joined Hill’s team for multiple days in preparation for Teixeira at UFC 283, and they formed a strong bond.
Both men know that business rises above all, though, and are comfortable with the idea of potentially facing each other. Hill told MMA Junkie he could see Smith getting the shot if he pulls off a win in his next fight, and Smith agrees it could happen if he lives up to his end of the bargain.
No matter what I’ve got to fight one more time, so it’s almost hard to even think about the title right now because I have another task ahead of me. But he knows and his team knows and his manager to knows I want that belt just as bad a he wanted to win it, and he knows exactly what that means. Anybody who has ever got close to it or fought for it once before or is getting close to it, knows how that burning desire feels like. So there’s no secret there. He knows how I feel.”
Smith was the backup fighter for the UFC 283 main event, but ended up missing weight. His services were ultimately not needed, but he promised it will never happen again.
UFC champ Jamahal Hill admits a showdown with Jon Jones is on his bucket list for the future.
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] admits a showdown with [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] is on his bucket list for the future.
Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), the newly crowned UFC light heavyweight champion, knows a meeting with Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) in the short-term is unrealistic, as they are in different places in their respective careers. Down the line, however, he certainly doesn’t rule it out.
Jones was the longtime holder of the 205-pound belt currently in Hill’s possession. He never lost the strap in the cage, but rather vacated it when he decided to move up to heavyweight. It’s been a slow burn to make that move, but Jones will finally return on March 4 when he faces Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight belt in the UFC 285 headliner.
Whether Jones wins the belt or not, he is still someone Hill would like to share the octagon with. He’s not sure when or under what circumstances it would materialize, but Hill told the “Believe You Me” podcast that Jones is a key part of why he’s found so much success in MMA.
“Yeah, 1,000% – I want to eventually build to a fight against Jon,” Hill said. “He’s the ultimate test. He was from the time that I came and decided I want to make this run. At first when it started it was Anderson Silva. He was the man. It was 2010 and things like that, but when he had his injury, I kind of fell off from the sport.
“That’s another reason why I started working (a day job). I didn’t see the money in it and all of that, then Conor (McGregor) happened. But Conor got that because he had (Jose) Aldo, who had been undefeated for 10 years. He had somebody to chase. I needed somebody to chase, and this whole time I’ve been chasing Jon. I’m interested in that fight.”
In the more immediate future, Hill will look to defend his 205-pound title. He’s said he wants former champ Jiri Prochazka to be his first title challenger, but it remains to be seen in Prochazka can get healthy in time to fight by July or August, which is when Hill recently told MMA Junkie he wants to return.
